UH Among First Universities to Communicate with Students Using Snapchat

The University
of Houston uses several social media tools to engage in dialogues with the
campus community. Now, UH is connecting with Cougars using photo-storytelling
phone/tablet application Snapchat.

UH
adopted Snapchat this month, and is the among the first universities to officially
use this tool to communicate with faculty, staff and students. So far, UH
(using the handle UHouston) has amassed 695 Snapchat followers, who are eagerly
sharing their college experiences through photos and illustrations.

“Using
Snapchat to tell the University’s story is in line with our style,” said
Jessica Brand, UH social media manager. “UH is a bold university. Since it was
founded, the University has advanced very quickly in a number of areas. Using a
new and effective tool to reach students is a reflection of how the University
is always looking forward and embracing cutting edge technologies.”

Snapchat
allows users to take photographs and videos – or “Snaps” – using phones or
tablets. Users also can insert text on photos using the application’s keyboard
function or its drawing tool, which creates basic blackboard-style
illustrations. Users can set the length of time “Snaps” can be viewed (from 1
to 10 seconds). “Snaps” also can be shared as sequenced stories. Once viewed,
“Snaps” are then automatically deleted.

Brand
and the rest of UH’s social media team have been using Snapchat to preview T-shirt
giveaways on Cougar Red Fridays. The team has sent “snaps” of locations around
campus, where students can snag free UH T-shirts and other prizes. Students are
reciprocating by delivering “snaps” to UHouston and offering insight into their
day-to-day campus activities.

“Since
the beginning of the semester, students have been snapping their experiences,”
said Kimberly Davis, UH social media coordinator. “They’ve been particularly
active since the new University Center opened. That new facility has produced
the most ‘snaps’ from students.”

Snapchat
complements several other tools used to reach communities on campus and beyond.
These include:

“It’s
great to have a new social media application that allows communities to share
what they value most about the University,” Davis said. “Snapchat also helps UH
reach new audiences. Our followers on Snapchat are likely different than those
on Linkedin or Facebook. This tool helps us impact a specific audience. In this
case, we’re reaching primarily students and prospective students.”

Davis
added that the University is reaching a high percentage of followers through
Snapchat. She said recent stats indicate between 60 and 80 percent of followers
are accessing UH’s “snaps.”

“They’re
actually going through our ‘snaps’ and viewing the shared content,” she said.
“We’re not always able to reach such a high percentage using other social media
tools. It’s great to know that our messages are being read. Whether it’s
sharing fun items like Cougar Red Friday giveaways or information related to
parking or campus happenings, it’s proving to be an effective communication
tool.”

Visit
this site to learn more about UH’s social
media efforts and access the UH Social Media Directory.